Game apparatus.



I 4 79/ j/X Q e e a NEW YORK BROOKLYN W. S. THORP.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION Plum APR. 5, 1913 1,095,436. A Patented May 5, 1914.

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RHE RHE gym aw/ z/ 25? mww 1 2 W W.-S. THORP. GAME APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED APR. 5, 191a.

Patented May 5, 1914.

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5 ma 14 M 'n/Mdlflorfi 351 213 mica??? WINFIELD s. THORP, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

. GAME APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 5, 191a.

Patented May'5,'19 14. Serial No. 759,210.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WINFIELD S. THORP, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented new and useful I Improvements in Game Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a device which is especially adapted for exhibiting the plays made on a ball field distant fromthe device.

The object of the invention being to show a baseball field visible from any part of a hall, theater or any desirable building or in the open, upon which is shown by means of devices representing the players, and a device for playing the game, the movements of tin; ball and players on any part of a distant fie d.

The device is designed to illustrate the movements of flies, grounders, fouls and thrown balls, to any part of the field, thus representing every play made during the progress of the game, from a description received from the grounds by telephone, telegraph or ticker.

The device consists of a support or board representing a ball field on a reduced scale, movable members denoting layers are arranged on the support, an a universally movable sphere representing the base ball can be moved to any portion of the field.

The foregoing device is adapted for all games where a ball and performers are in motion.

The novel features of the invention are more fully described in the following specification and claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 represents a front elevation of a device embodying this invention. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a similar view on a larger scale. Fig. 4 is a plan view of a bracket. Fig. 5 is a detail section of one of the channel portions of the support. Fig. 6 is a detail section showing a base runner disk. Fig. 7 is a detail section showing a player disk. Fig. 8 is a modification of a disk.

' 4 In these drawings the letter a designates a support which is preferably made of wood but could be constructed of sheet iron, slate or other material. In practice this board is about 10 feet square, and it can be positioned upright or preferably placed at an angle as indicated in Fig. 2. The face and rear of the board can be marked to show the line of a field b, a diamond 0 and foul lines 07 extending from first and third base, to the end of the field. The spaces 6 on the face of the board around the field may be used to depict seating stands. On each side of the seating stands as may be determined will be spaces 7 for the names of the competing teams indicating who is at the bat and their individual record. The innings can be tallied beneath at g, all to be operated by cards or lights. The diamond 0 is cut entirely free from the field allowing for a continuousslot i the function of which will be hereinafter described. The diamond is fastened to the main support by means of braces j best seen in Fig. 6, secured to the rear of the support. The playing field can be covered with a green smooth surfaced material or preferably with a heavy napped fabric 7:. as indicated in Fig. 6, with'narrow slotscut to correspond and somewhat concealing the slots in the board. The field is also provided with slots 7c formed toany suitable angle for a purpose hereinafter specified. The sides of the slots may also have light metal uidesm to prevent wear on the material h an to furnish smooth runners. I

A series of devices ,such as. disks n are arranged onthe support These disks represent the players or fielders and are preferably movable along the slots 70; the fielders can thus make their individual and collective play. These disks may be stationary as shown in Fig. 8; in this construction the slots are omitted and the disk is fastened to the face of the board. The batter 0 or player of the opposing team is moved along a slot forming a continuation of the slot 2', from a small house or cover p to the home plate. This member oconsists of a flexible disk secured to a stem 9 and having-a button 3/ se- 7 cured to its opposite end. This disk is adapted to be moved along the slot 2' in the diamond to make the circuit of the-bases, but when necessary or when the player is out, the disk can be pulled through the slot by an operator stationed at the back of the su port, and the player will disappear. The fie d disks nmay be made of rigid material and ainted a distinctive "color to distinguish" rom the base runner disks 0. These disks n are only movable along the slots into make the necessary plays and cannot be pulled through the slots.

Mounted on the support a is a ball 1' of rubber, cork, aluminum or other material.

This ball is secured to a rod .9 extending from the home plate through a slotted. bracket- 2? secured to the top of the support. The upper portion of the rod has a yoke u preferably an integral portion of the rod with a downwardly extending rod 'v passing through the slotted bracketand having a connection to at its lower end. A pendulum rod a2 extends loosely through. a slot in the bracket and is swingingly mounted at to the said yoke. The said rod has attached to its lower end a sphere or ball 16 corresponding to the ball 5* on the front of the support.

The said ball 16 has secured to it a rearwardly projecting arm 17 on which is slidinglymounted the connecting member to of the downwardly extending rod mentioned above.

A guide 18 on the face of the support keeps the ball 0* a certain distance from the board to clear the player disks.

A series of channels or grooves 19 are arranged on the back of the support. The channels extend radially from the diamond or home plate to the outfield and serve to guide the ball 16 thereby keeping the playing hall in a straight line to the field.

The rods 8 and o can both oscillate on the slotted bracket, hence when the connection to is slid along the arm 17 it will swing the ball 1- forwardly away from the support, and by pushing the connecting member upwardly the ball will move to any part of the diamond or field. The operating connections w can also swing to and fro to carry the ball laterally over any portion of the diamond or field. In this connection it should be noticed that theplaying ball r by means of its operating devices is given universal movement in order to illustrate fiy balls, grounders, fouls and any play accomplished by the two opposing teams in a game of baseball. In other words the playing ball r is controlled by the movement of the operating connection, while the ball 16 swinging on the pendulum rod indicates to the operator stationed at the back of the board the location of the playing ball.

It should be said that the rear of the support is laid ed with a diamond, field and foul lines the same as the face of: the support, so that the operator stationed at the rear of the support will be able to see by means of the pendulum ball 16 the exact location. of

the playing ball relative to the face of the support. The pendulum ball 16 at all times moves in unity with the oscillating, and up and down motion of the playing ball; but at the forward movement at right angles to the support or backward movement tows rd support of the playing ball, the pendulum ball remains in contact. with the hack of the support to guide course.

I claim:

1. In a game apparatus the combination with a support representing a ball field, means universally mounted on the support to represent the movements of a ball, a pendulum arranged at the back of the support for manually controlling the movement of the universal means.

2. In a game apparatus the combination with a support representing a ball field, means universally mounted on the support to represent the movement of a ball, a pendulum connected to the universal means, and devices carried by the pendulum and connected to the universal means for manually controlling said means.

3. In a game apparatus the combination with a support representing a ball field, a bracket located the upper portion of the support, a ball carrying rod and an operating rod universally mounted on the bracket, a pendulum connected to the rods to position the ball.

4. In a game apparatus the combination with a support representing a ball field, a bracket located at the upper portion of the support. a ball carrying rod and an actuating rod universally mounted on the bracket, a pendulum swingingly suspended from the rod and connected to the lower portion of the actuating rod to position the ball.

In a game apparatus the combination with a support representing a ball field, slots situated in the support flexible headed disks representing players mounted in the slots, and devices swingingly mounted on the support to position the ball.

6. Ina game apparatus the combination with a support representing a ball field, slots located in the support, flexible headed disks representing players mounted in the slots adapted for movement along the slots and for Withdrawal by an operator at the back of the support, and devices universally mounted on the support to position a ball.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

l'VINFIELD S. THORP.

\Vitnesses V CHRISTIAN II. Amrsrnnnr, MAY 0. LANGLEY. 

